Mages and viruses
by Max Tiger
Summary: A set of events have taken place after the Laxus arc. Many towns, guilds and villages are invariably destroyed. But what appalls magical kingdom Fiore the most is that not a single soul was found - dead or alive to tell the story, except a boy.
1. Innocence brings Sanctity

**A/N**: Hello my fanfic fellows. This a new story from me and yes my first. This is the first chapter of the story. Hope you find it worth your time. Also I have extended the chapter.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Innocence brings Sanctity<strong>

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><p>"It's.. ", the voice broke off somewhere in thin air.<p>

There was a shattered two-storey building, situated at an abandoned street of a ghostly town that was left as a shadow of its merrier times. Inside, on the top floor of the building, laid a boy of not more than 11 perhaps and some light debris scattered on him.

"Oh my...", the same breathed voice came from a blonde girl who wore a bunch of keys around her waist with a long whip. Currently she was standing on a pile of fallen wall across the sad example of what used to be a humble room. Immediately upon seeing the poor soul, she hurriedly but cautiously walked over the debris only to observe more precisely that the poor boy was lying sideways with a look of calmness that comes after a long affair with nightmarish disaster. To make the horrors inside calm down, the blonde known as Lucy checked his pulse by the neck. Upon being relieved that was all was well with the boy, she carefully shoved away whatever rubbish was lying on the body and carefully lifted the boy in her arms. Except for a few small cuts and dirty clothes the boy seemed okay.

"Horrific", thought Lucy for her given sight in truth was much more than that.

After coming out on the bare streets, the stellar-spirit mage walked towards the town center where once people flocked in their happier times. There she and her team-mates had decided to meet before sunset after the search for any useful thing – living or not – that could tell what happened in this dead town.

No one else except the blond mage holding the child were in sight at the town center.

She waited for her friends - Natsu Dragneel, Happy, Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster - sitting on the edge of the now dry fountain made up of broken statues of unrecognizable figures.

Lucy was observing the sleeping child in her lap. Lucy thought of waking her up and assess his condition. But she did better to let him sleep.

"Hey".

Lucy looked around her to see Gray standing beside her.

"Hey", she wished him in no more than his enthusiasm.

Then Gray's eyes went to the child and then to Lucy's questioning. She told him how she found him while looking inside a dilapidated building under some rubble. Gray didn't prodded the question to wake up the child. Neither of them were interested to talk about their search as it would have only taken away their remaining serenity.

Soon, the other friends walked in. None too cheery. Rather Natsu and Happy were looking slumped.

"So you found a boy.", stated the armored warrior after glancing at the sleeping boy.

In any other situation, Natsu, Happy and all of them would have made an issue of the child's state. But now there were just happy that the child was alive. At least some sanctity was still remaining in this place in the form of this boy.

"Let's go back home. ", said Natsu with a straight face.

"Aye", agreed Happy flying beside the boy after observing it to his heart's content.

"Yes let's report back", ordered Erza with the air of finality.

All were glad that they were finally leaving this place after a long tiring day. The child didn't know who or where he was taken. Such innocence. But who knew there was something more beyond that. Not our heroes. At least not now.

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><p><strong>AN : **I know it is short by all standards. Also no where here the mention of our second protagonist is there. Hope you will have patience for other chapters.

I would be glad if you may like to suggest some plot or want to continue the story in your way. Hope you may inform me and add credit to this story.

For now, review if you may please.


	2. Mystery deepens

**Author's note:** Hi. Hope you all are fine. Well I greatly apologize for super-short chapters and slack updates but I have a genuine excuse of having my final term exam during the month of April and May. But since life is now more peaceful and less chaotic for me now, I am concentrating on this story. As you may observe that the summary of story and this chapter's title has been changed as well as the size of the content has been increased and older content modified. After reviews by you readers who somehow liked my story and were generous enough to give time I have decided to put your names as a thanks. Since sending PMs every now and then seems a little hectic to me. But I will try. And yes I have introduced an original character quite vaguely in the story.

Shadus Tricefok of the XXIV: Yes I know the chapters are short. But I am trying my best to make the plot more comprehensible and intriguing as you said.

Kuroi no Sora: Well forgive me for making grammatical errors. Thanks for seeing potential in the plot.

RadioMix: Thanks for reviewing and hoping for its better turn out.

saratiger: Again I know I write quite a 'long' chapter and I update very 'fast'. I will try to slow down a bit. :P

someguy: You are an anonymous reviewer but still one.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 : Mystery Deepens<strong>

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><p>"You know, this is happening frighteningly fast"<p>

"I don't know what next will happen, hope the God save us."

"God? I don't think even if He could do anything about our present situation."

"So many lives, property all lost."

"Alas!"

"Huh... alas!"

A man with sharp ears and eyes was witness to all this conservation as he was passing by a group talking and chatting about themselves. He silently muttered something under his breath as he went past them which only indicated that this person was greatly tired to hear such exchanges that was evidently seen taking place at every corner of town, village, in alleyways, bars etc. But the tired man was helpless since his superb hearing and sight were but working without much his consciousness lately. He was increasingly becoming like his old self, who again bespoke of making him restless, but terrifying for others as people gave him a wide yard when he walked through them. But more precise reason was that he had a peculiar dress about himself and a humorous hat on his head which one would only wear on a very depressing day and well the man did seemed drunk, so matters were resolved for the random onlookers. But after knowing this person, you wouldn't give even a thought. But anyways, we can forget the ignorant townsmen.

But there was group of odd but wearied looking sailors who were observing this man with a different and far greater interest.

"Who was 'e?"

"I t'ink we shud report 'im."

" 'e's gon' now. So forget it."

"But what if 'e's those murderers on loose, he did behaved strangely."

"Then 'ou shud shuddup at once an' miend 'o'r bizzness. Yo wanna make o'r town the next victum."

Well perhaps it seemed that the town's luck was already sealed because the townspeople soon found out the very next day that like the rest of the fated ones, their beloved town also ceased to exist.

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><p>"Damn it.", growled a ferocious voice.<p>

A man wearing a strange dress and a comical hat who resembled no less than a drunken man with a major hangover shifted a few pieces of rubble with his feet angrily on the floor where he was standing.

"Looks like I missed him." he said to himself.

Stopping his activity, the odd man came down on the ground floor from the second storey of the dilapidated building by hopping through the broken stairs. Somehow, it didn't seemed to be an average drunken man's ability to jump from the top of the staircase to the bottommost step with utmost ease – not that that the idea was unexpected from such men – but then this person showed no signs of pain and even less concern for his body, which even a strong painkiller and a major hangover would have made him cry a few times or at least had made him wince several times. But maybe we were beholding a miracle of magic, hope heavens save the mankind.

But our particular man didn't seem to have such a mentality. Well anyways, after this stint, the so-called extraordinary-who-didn't-behaved-as-a-drunk fellow was walking from the flight of steps to the opening on the other side of the room where one could imagine an oak door. But it seemed the house was really in no condition to be lived in as the floor on which the man was currently on gave in, taking the props as well as the seemingly man with it. Now any person witnessing this would have clearly said that he was seeing a gifted man with inexplicable skills and flexibility performing an acrobatic act of keeping his body straight and vertical so that the maximum impact would come on his knees. Now, at this point it would be unwise to point out that his legs should shatter on falling a good two and half metre from the now absent floor to the ground on which all the articles were lying broken and scattered around brought with it. But actually one witnessed after the clearing of the puffs of dust was a small crater formed on a part with the clumsy man on the rocky ground. Not even dusting himself off the man looked here and there for any signs of activity in the invisible darkness that suddenly from the rocky walls lights came bursting on, blinding the no more normal person in process for maybe a second or two. What he beheld was a passageway to a small door. Upon entering he heard sounds coming from what one could tell were a mainframe computer along with miscellaneous PCs, a big LCD screen and various other hi-tech equipments that strangely didn't belonged to this era. But instead of being terrified or intimidated with such obscure and complex objects, the man only smiled to himself, a smile that would bring sweat even to the toughest man on earth.

"MT MT. You have surprised me again. Huh."

But this voice now didn't belong to the drunken man but instead a Caucasian male wearing a pair of jeans and a jacket with a hood on his head, amusement written all over his deadly pale face.

The computers only made a sound in response.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> You see I would really love to know how you think about the story. Also the writing skills. Hope you R&R.


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